Tinnitus

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

6 hours ago, deadshank said:

Embrace the suck.

Rock and roll, small arms fire and machinery done it to me. At least it was fun.

Exactly what I blame it on. Shooting, heavy machinery on the family farm, and many a night in front of the speaker stacks at Liberty Lunch.

[CycleTex87 2981]

What?  Did you say something?

[HookEm 2467]

Well, I hunt occasionally. Shot a shotgun some as a kid. But nothing excessive. Went to maybe 30 concerts in my lifetime. They checked my hearing and it seems to be ok. Guess I will get it checked out.

[TexasBuckeye 43]

I've had it as long as I can remember. So used to it I have to stop and listen to hear it. It can get annoying some times though. I'm paying off my wife's hearing aids this year. She has been hard of hearing in one ear since teens (we're 70 now). She tells me of all the birds she can hear that she never heard before. What birds? But I am thrilled at the joy she has listening to birds, I can wait to get my problem fixed.  

[Dilligas 666]

Yeah fuck the Dude that brought this up! Kidding, I hate when people mention it cause it makes me think about it. And for me it’s all about forgetting about it.

If someone comes up with a real remedy they’ll be rich beyond belief. I do wonder at times if it would ever get bad enough to eat a bullet, it’s kind of scary.

[Sawbonz 27587]

8 hours ago, ABSR said:

If you see an ENT they may check for an Acoustic Neuroma tumor as tinnitus is a sign of this, as is sudden hearing loss and other things.  Note that while 25M Americans have tinnitus, only about 3,500 have an Acoustic Neuroma tumor so don't sweat this.

Having said that, I did have an Acoustic Neuroma and then the associated surgery.  (See "It's not a fake tumor" thread from the old scat porn site).

The odd thing is that while I had my inner ear removed (permanently) as part of the surgery and tumor removal process, I still have tinnitus in that ear even without the plumbing....as well as the other ear.

For me I just learned to ignore it.

I do notice that caffeine and alcohol seem to trigger it for me more, but I ain't giving those up.

Username definitely checks out

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I was in rock bands in high school and college, then a recording engineer for 7 years.  Also co-owned a record label in Austin for quite a few years so I was out watching bands a lot (rock, punk, metal).  I have subjected my ears to a lot and have paid for it.  Permanent tinnitus for the past 25 years or so.  Meh, whatever.

[BearSchlong 8114]

Gawd, if we all got together for a banquet its possible we'd all understand approximately 26% of the discussion.

Lots of smiling and appreciative head nodding while we thought "wtf did he just say?"

[Beau Vine 54422]

12 hours ago, HookEm said:

Dr. Slater you say? Man of many talents.

[Beau Vine 54422]

9 hours ago, deadshank said:

Being out in a public setting like a restaurant with lots of conversations going on at surrounding table is a beating.  
 

All I hear is a very tinny squawk and all voices are gobbledygook.  Couple that with the tenor and pitch of a woman’s voice, such as my wife’s, and I just sit there like deaf and dumb grandpa and mutter to my soup and occasionally blurt out a response to something that sounds vaguely decipherable that turns about to be nowhere near what the others are conversing about. 
 

Then I go back to my soup.  

[cabowabo 4514]

I’ve learned to live with it. Never wore hearing protection while shooting as a youngster.  Shot a fuckload of .223 and 7.62x39.  It’s really amazing I can hear anything. 

[Biff Tannen 45732]

I have a ringing in my ears if I pay attention, but I don’t know if it’s really tinnitus. Always kinda been there I think. 
 

Certainly have listened to a lot of way too loud music though. 

Edited June 18, 2021 by Biff Tannen

[F250 28817]

11 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Same here... except a lot of the time a flock of birds is chirping in my ear, alternating with a bunch of cicadas.

Have this in my right ear. Like a lot of other posters, I assume it is related to too much shooting without proper ear protection throughout my life.

 

 

 

[F250 28817]

2 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

Gawd, if we all got together for a banquet its possible we'd all understand approximately 26% of the discussion.

Lots of smiling and appreciative head nodding while we thought "wtf did he just say?"

 

 

 

[Lat22 4017]

Have it in both ears.  It's from shooting without ear protection from age 10 to about 45.  Nothing I can do about it.

[MirrOlure 14839]

I do notice that caffeine and alcohol seem to trigger it for me more, but I ain't giving those up.

Well shit. I’ve been dealing with it for several years, and admit that it’s worse since I had Covid in January. Constant cicadas chirping in both ears.

Unfortunately I’ll never find out whether cutting back on coffee and booze will help.

[Trey3216 15355]

13 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I was in rock bands in high school and college, then a recording engineer for 7 years.  Also co-owned a record label in Austin for quite a few years so I was out watching bands a lot (rock, punk, metal).  I have subjected my ears to a lot and have paid for it.  Permanent tinnitus for the past 25 years or so.  Meh, whatever.

Watch them rattlesnakes 

[Buzzrock 14940]

What’s really weird is that if I concentrate on it I can make it louder.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11820]

25 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

What’s really weird is that if I concentrate on it I can make it louder.

Even weirder, is if everything else is really quiet and you’re trying to sleep, it can almost sound symphonic.  

[Sbbruin 21880]

These will clear it right up.

[atomheartbevo 89789]

I’m at a kids YMCA basketball game and if you hear of a parent being arrested for strangling an official with their own whistle, it was me.   

Edited June 19, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[Dbeasy 15091]

Some may remember me asking about ear issues a year ago. To make a long story short, I’ve gone down a one year journey to many many doctors trying to figure out why I developed bad bad tinnitus (jet engine roaring tinnitus), hearing loss, ear plugged sensation, and dizziness. 

It turns out that there are a number of diseases and or conditions that can cause this, and I’m now seeing yet another specialist, looking at an inner ear issue that might be solvable via surgery. Fortunately, while I’ve waited for the last few months for his schedule to open up, my symptoms have subsided significantly. If anyone has symptoms like what I’ve described and wants a 10 minute data dump on what I’ve learned, I’d be happy to share it. Bad tinnitus is unbearable. 

[F250 28817]

24 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

If anyone has symptoms like what I’ve described and wants a 10 minute data dump on what I’ve learned, I’d be happy to share it. Bad tinnitus is unbearable. 

Just post it here.

 

[deadshank 24653]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

I’m at a kids YMCA basketball game and if you hear of a parent being arrested for strangling an official with their own whistle, it was me.   

Ooh.  Sharp noises in areas where there is no sound dampening is tough.  
 

My wife plays the piano in the formal living room of our house where there is only wood floors and no rugs.   She’s quite good at playing but the sound on the high notes is unbearable static to me. 

Edited June 19, 2021 by deadshank

[Dbeasy 15091]

Got a DM and a request to post some information about what I've learned so far, so here it is.

Basically, quite a few people have tinnitus, and/or ear fullness, and/or hearing loss, and/or dizziness and just suffer with it.  If you have just tinnitus, then as many posters indicated it could be just exposure to loud sounds for too long.

If you have some of the other symptions, that's where it gets more confusing. The ear, nose and throat doctors in general are not very helpful. Many times they will diagnose something called meniere's disease, but that requires all four symptoms to be present, and they should be ruling out all other causes.  It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Despite that, many will diagnose it anyway. If you think you have multiple of those symptoms, you probably should find a Dr who specifically deals with Meniere's and can exclude other causes, like vestibular headaches, or other potential causes.   

Ear doctors will often perform an MRI and maybe even a CT. Make sure to read those test results yourself and try to understand the notes. There have been quite a few situations where the MRI and/or CT tests were pronounced "fine", but in reality there was something flagged by the radiologist intepreting the results.  For some reason, some radiologists either don't intepret the results right, or the CT scans aren't done at the right angles to the head.  Also, ear doctors will sometimes just pronounce the results as fine, even though the notes indicate a potential problem. I'm still not clear why they sometimes do that (insurance costs?).

If there is a problem with the MRI or CT, you have to go find a specialist who deals with the unusual results found.  They can be extremely different specialists depending upon the results. 

If you do have the 4 symptoms of Meniere's and the MRI's and CT's truly are clean, then the best approach is to connect with a neurotologist who treats Meniere's for on-going care. They are more versed in treating Meniere's patients, and there are certain things you can do with meds, diet, etc to really lessen the discomfort it causes. Apparently the triggers are different for different people. Best bet is to radically change your diet to extremely low salt per day (not too low, that is dangerous) and no processed foods. That seems to help most.  There are also some controversial vitamin regimens that some swear-by.

There's more, but that's a high level summary.  This is not medical advice and you should consult your doctor.

[XYZ 2154]

I’m at the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico. It’s so perfectly quiet here. Just me and my tinnitus.

[deadshank 24653]

7 hours ago, XYZ said:

I’m at the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico. It’s so perfectly quiet here. Just me and my tinnitus.

It’s like listening to the effects soundtrack of Dunkirk on a loop

[NoRagrets 1125]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:13 PM, Doc Reeves said:

Dammit. After reading all these posts now I hear a constant ringing.  

I almost didn’t click on this thread for fear I would convince myself I have it too. 

[MirrOlure 14839]

Well shit. I’ve been dealing with it for several years, and admit that it’s worse since I had Covid in January. Constant cicadas chirping in both ears.

Unfortunately I’ll never find out whether cutting back on coffee and booze will help.

So 5 months later (and a football season full of heavy drinking and coffee recovery)…I’d say the intensity has almost doubled.

But I can’t say that I’ve got any other symptoms at all. I’m healthy at 55 years old, active (run 4-5 times a week including 5-7 miles most Saturdays), eat healthy mostly home cooked fresh meals, etc. My only unhealthy element is moderately high level of drinking (bourbon and red wine).

I will add that I have a high pressure (self imposed) “desk job” as a commercial transaction attorney, and by 4 pm every day, it seems to be at peak annoyance.

I have an appointment in a couple of weeks at a Tinnitus Specialist Clinic in Houston. I’ll report back whether it appears to be legit, or if it involves a chicken foot and incense.

[atomheartbevo 89789]

2 hours ago, MirrOlure said:

I have an appointment in a couple of weeks at a Tinnitus Specialist Clinic in Houston. I’ll report back whether it appears to be legit, or if it involves a chicken foot and incense.

[Cajun 11737]

On 6/17/2021 at 10:38 PM, cabowabo said:

I’ve learned to live with it. Never wore hearing protection while shooting as a youngster.  Shot a fuckload of .223 and 7.62x39.  It’s really amazing I can hear anything. 

Ditto.

‘Thanks to my Lord and Saviour Crom for providing white noise generators.

[ABSR 5323]

On 6/23/2021 at 5:58 AM, deadshank said:

It’s like listening to the effects soundtrack of Dunkirk on a loop

This has a familiar ring to it.

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

I can now check handicapped. #equity

[DigglerontheHoof 21230]

I've had it constantly since my motorcycle crash in June of 2020.  I've gotten to the point where I don't notice it most of the time.  Going to sleep is the most irritating time. 

[Dbeasy 15091]

Saw this thread updated and thought I’d add one bit of information I’ve learned. 

Saw many doctors who said that neck injuries have nothing to do with tinnitus, ear fullness, and hearing loss issues. They all adamantly deny its possible.

However, the most highly trained expert in this area told me that a neck injury or vestibular headaches absolutely can be the root cause and has suggested certain types of physical therapy combined with chiropractic care. 

I’ve always been skeptical of chiropractors, so it was surprising to hear a highly qualified ear doctor suggest it. 

[twosheds 374]

I’ve always been skeptical of chiropractors, so it was surprising to HEAR a highly qualified ear doctor suggest it. 

I see what you did

[XYZ 2154]

Fuck tinnitus. It has literally taken away a good chunk of my happiness.

[Jiggy-Z 3435]

21 hours ago, twosheds said:

 

I see what you did

 

Not only that, but at of UNHEARD OF prices.

[smwhorn 483]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:06 AM, MirrOlure said:

I have an appointment in a couple of weeks at a Tinnitus Specialist Clinic in Houston. I’ll report back whether it appears to be legit, or if it involves a chicken foot and incense.

Looking forward to "hearing" what the specialist has to say.  My thought, though, is to NOT tell the good doctor you are going to post his/her advice/opinion on Surly.  

[WillUSAF 226]

I've got it. Too many years flying on H-60 (Blackhawks) and being on flight lines with jets. Constant ringing and sleep is a bitch.

[smwhorn 483]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:06 AM, MirrOlure said:

So 5 months later (and a football season full of heavy drinking and coffee recovery)…I’d say the intensity has almost doubled.

But I can’t say that I’ve got any other symptoms at all. I’m healthy at 55 years old, active (run 4-5 times a week including 5-7 miles most Saturdays), eat healthy mostly home cooked fresh meals, etc. My only unhealthy element is moderately high level of drinking (bourbon and red wine).

I will add that I have a high pressure (self imposed) “desk job” as a commercial transaction attorney, and by 4 pm every day, it seems to be at peak annoyance.

I have an appointment in a couple of weeks at a Tinnitus Specialist Clinic in Houston. I’ll report back whether it appears to be legit, or if it involves a chicken foot and incense.

Any update on the appointment you had with the specialist?  Not asking for a friend.

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

I blame surly. As others have noted, thinking about it for many makes it worse, and I swear I had a mild case that became worse when I found this thread.

I went to the ENT. I had a hole in my eardrum, which make have caused it. The hole closed, but the tinnitus remains - and it comes and goes.

Here is what my doctor said:

• People do not actually get tinnitus per se - ears constantly ring for everyone, but in most people your brain causes you to ignore it, so when you hear ringing it is your brain no longer "hiding" it from you
• It is the body's defensive mechanism to let you know something is wrong with your ears - at evolutionary development to let the caveman know "you're hearing in this ear isn't great so watch out for the Sabretooth tiger growl"
• He did recommend an OTC - I took 60 days of it, but it did not seem to do much
• He said caffeine can exacerbate it, so I have been weaning myself off coffee and Cokes or at least drinking much less
• Definitely said thinking about it makes it worse, and my experience bears that out
• He seemed to downplay out noises as being the causes, but if loud noises blow an ear drum then there could be the connection
• There are some therapies - but they're very expensive - where basically a device attempts to trick your brain into re-ignoring it

Best of luck. Mine goes from I forget about it to annoying, and it definitely seems like constant online calls with headphones do not help.

[Jkwellborn 6734]

When I was a little kid, I would hear ringing in my ears. Thought I was loosing my mind. Went to get my ears checked and they told me that I could hear the blood in them.

[texasdago 7579]

"He said caffeine can exacerbate it, so I have been weaning myself off coffee and Cokes or at least drinking much less"

 

Welp, I'm screwed... 

[atomheartbevo 89789]

2 hours ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

Definitely said thinking about it makes it worse, and my experience bears that out

I can 100% confirm this.

2 hours ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

• He seemed to downplay out noises as being the causes, but if loud noises blow an ear drum then there could be the connection

My dad is certain his came from the Army and lack of earplugs at the time.  He was able to get some kind of Army disability stuff (hearing aids and some therapy) because on his way out in the early 70s, he mentioned his ears bothering him, and a few decades later, those few little lines on a medical exam helped him out.

I feel fairly confident mine is from shitty Walkman headphones/music cranked to high and the Army (we had earplugs, but I did not wear them as much as I should have).  I did not qualify for anything from the Army, because it was not a problem when I separated.  In hindsight, it was a problem that I noticed occasionally, but didn't consider it important enough at the time to mention.  It got worse years later.

2 hours ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

Best of luck. Mine goes from I forget about it to annoying

Yeah, thanks to this thread being bumped, it's annoying me.

[MirrOlure 14839]

22 hours ago, smwhorn said:

Any update on the appointment you had with the specialist?  Not asking for a friend.

Yeah....been meaning to report back.  I did finally make it in to see the specialist in early January.  I had previously done a standard hearing assessment about 1 year ago, so I had a baseline, which indicated the beginning of some loss at the high pitch range.  The January testing was more in-depth, and showed a slight worsening of that same hearing loss.

Most of the assessment relating to the Tinitis was if and how it affects my mood, my social life, my ability to work, my will to live (seriously). 

The end result was being presented with the option of going with hearing aids, from the perspective that (a) I'm headed in that direction anyway (at 55 years old, my hearing isn't getting any better) - both as shown by my testing and by family history; and (b) one theory on the ringing is that the brain "replaces" sounds that are no longer being delivered to it...and by picking that sound back up through the hearing aids, the ringing will subside.

Supposedly, some people report immediate ceasing of the ringing with the hearing aids.  I'm not one of those.  So far, I can say that the periods when it is "severe" seem to be fewer and farther between.  But I also do occasionally experience it "full blast." 

 

Now my focus is trying to tie those experiences to external factors....and so far, stress, alcohol and caffeine are the prime suspect agitators, so obviously, if that holds true, and the gradual effect of the hearing aids doesn't kick in, then I'll just have to live with it.....maybe a slight reduction in stress in my future is possible, but alcohol and caffeine aren't going anywhere....

[freyguy 4289]

So you're saying I shouldn't have gotten shit-faced at last week's Tool concert?

[You don't know me 1161]

Yeah, I have it.  It started around 12 years ago.  At first it sucked and seemed really loud.  Now, it's just part of my life.  The sound doesn't bother me as much now as when it first started.  Mine is largely due to just being in and around the military and the loud noises associated with that lifestyle.  10 years active duty in the Marines and another 5 years or so in Iraq/Afghanistan are the obvious culprits.  When I got out of the military and had my final physical, they noted that my hearing was somewhat degraded from when I first went in.  Now, I have a very hard time hearing what people are saying, especially when there is other noise around.  The best part of all this is I can pretty much ignore anything that anyone (wife, kids) says from any other room in the house.  I can usually hear that they are talking, but I got tired of yelling "What!?", so I just ignore them now.  Gotta take the little wins when they present themself.

[TexasEd 8077]

Anyone use electronic hearing protectors for the gun range?  I have some ear muffs with electronic cut out but nothing in ear.  Been thinking of doing that for a long time.

[BabaYaga 15318]

1 hour ago, TexasEd said:

Anyone use electronic hearing protectors for the gun range?  I have some ear muffs with electronic cut out but nothing in ear.  Been thinking of doing that for a long time.

Use smaller rubber ear plugs joined by a small rope under traditional ear muffs.  Works well so far.